An account of the wildlife I come across and hopefully pictures to bring the account closer

Sunday, 21 August 2011

Sunday 21st. August 2011

Four visits to local sites over the last two days did not produce a lot , but am posting the few bits of interest found .At the Farm lake , just the odd Common Darter , looking over mature now , and a couple of Common Blue Damselflies .Around the lake , Beaked Hawksbeard/Crespis vesicaria is becoming dominant , identified by the orange on the outer florets showing orange beneath .Caught in mid hover , what I believe is Sphaerophoria rueppellii .

Up on the Common in the heathland area in the afternoon ,I found 3/4 Beautiful Yellow Underwings , seemingly not so colourful as the specimens seen earlier in the Summer .Also in the Heather , several second brood Holly Blues , I wondered if these emerged from the eggs I saw being laid on Buckthorn by a first brood female .Just couldn't resist posting this 7 spot Ladybird , snug in it's Wild Carrot flower head .

This morning on Salt Box Hill , and yes , the ponies are still on site ,

the extremely poisonous fruit of Deadly Nightshade/Atrope bella-donna .Two Speckled Woods that were flirting very amorously , but never came to anything .Several Figwort Sawflies/Tenthredo scrophulariae were warming up in the early sunshine .Several white specimens of Marjoram were found . the normal one on the right .All the books say Small Heaths land , and keep wings closed ?

On the way back home , a quick stop at Keston Ponds produced a female Brown Hawker , ovipositing on the concrete apron of the middle lake , alongside the road , with the male patrolling above her .